I want to gear down now, work less, live on less. My dear departed Mom used to say "A penny saved is a penny earned ". That came from Poor Richard's Almanac she told me, Ben Franklin's collection of wisdom.
Many nurses are caught on the hamster wheel, working a lot and living high on the hog. They buy expensive cars, houses, boats, RVS on credit, go on pricy trips, and work like dogs to pay for it, one illness or accident away from financial distress.
You read on this site how many of us are burnt out. In real life I see that as well, and know more about my coworker's lives. I see a lot of expensive and wasteful habits out there.
This thread is for those interested in a simpler, less consumerist lifestyle. How can we enjoy life more, with more free time but less money? Spending less time at the nursing grindstone might relieve stress too!
Our culture seems to have lost the ability to delay gratification. It's a big change from my parents, who grew up in the depression and scrimped and counted every penny.
I was lucky to have such wonderful parents. As a student who had to watch my friends with all these cool gadgets while I was stuck with my CD player, I used to feel like the odd one out. And we would never go out to eat. I think we went out for dinner maybe 2 times in 10 yrs. My parents also grew up in poverty.
In retrospect, I appreciate the values that they taught me. I paid for my own apartment and expenses while in college. I'm paying off my nursing degree as well. And I know how to manage my expenses. You value money a lot more when you're the one earning it.
I will probably eventually retire in Thailand. You need around 60,000 US in savings, plus regular monthly income (pension, savings or combination). I detest winter and my money will go much farther.
I will probably eventually retire in Thailand. You need around 60,000 US in savings, plus regular monthly income (pension, savings or combination). I detest winter and my money will go much farther.
"Live like noone else so later you can LIVE like noone else". A budget is huge. I do crockpot freezer meals. We pay for everything with cash and put money away in an emergency fund.
I see a lot of people are Dave Ramsey followers. The biggest problem I have with him is the loss of huge amounts of money because of him not liking credit cards. Credit card rewards these days are pretty freaking awesome and worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year, which is free money Dave Ramsey followers are throwing into the toilet.
I just stayed in a hotel for free a couple weeks back that would have cost me $180 if I had paid for it (I checked the room rate that night and that's what that particular upgraded room would have come to with taxes) and I have gotten at least $100 of free stuff of of Amazon this year. Plus $190 in rewards points I have sitting in Chase's Ultimate Rewards program right now that I haven't redeemed yet. Not to mention the sign-up bonus for my Hyatt card I haven't redeemed yet - 2 nights in any Hyatt anywhere in the world, and some of them can run up to $800 or so a night, so those nights alone could be worth $1600 depending on where I redeem them. I may use them to go to NTI in New Orleans next year if my hospital doesn't pay for it.
So, basically, this year I have earned up to $2000 in credit card rewards and the year isn't even over yet. I don't know how anyone can pass that much free money up. This is not chump change we are talking about. All you have to do is pay off your cards in full every month so you never pay any interest, and you can really take these credit card companies for a ride and save a ton of money.
Some people don't have the discipline to pay off their cards every month. I guess if you know you are that person, it's better to stay away from them.
But I agree with above on the amount of perks we have gotten from having credit cards, charging most expenses on them, then paying off the entire balance each and every month.
I found a problem with living cash only as I have done for many years. The last time I bought a vehicle ( previous one was paid in cash and driven for 10 years) I was told I didn't exist as far as credit history. Apparently using no credit for many years is worse than poor credit.
I found a problem with living cash only as I have done for many years. The last time I bought a vehicle ( previous one was paid in cash and driven for 10 years) I was told I didn't exist as far as credit history. Apparently using no credit for many years is worse than poor credit.
Yep, it really is. They have no idea how you're going to handle debt if you never handle debt. You're a total wild card, and that's scarier to them than someone who's screwed up a few times but has otherwise paid their bills.
If you don't use credit at all, you had better have enough cash to buy anything you could possibly need, including possibly a house, upfront - because you're never going to be able to get a loan for anything. And hope you can find a nice apartment on Craigslist if you don't have the cash - all of the nice apartment complexes near me run people's credit, so you'd be SOL on getting an apartment anywhere other than bad parts of town if you've not used credit in a long time.
Yep, it really is. They have no idea how you're going to handle debt if you never handle debt. You're a total wild card, and that's scarier to them than someone who's screwed up a few times but has otherwise paid their bills.
If you don't use credit at all, you had better have enough cash to buy anything you could possibly need, including possibly a house, upfront - because you're never going to be able to get a loan for anything. And hope you can find a nice apartment on Craigslist if you don't have the cash - all of the nice apartment complexes near me run people's credit, so you'd be SOL on getting an apartment anywhere other than bad parts of town if you've not used credit in a long time.
Yeah, I did break down this year and get a credit card through my bank. Doing the use and pay off thing just to give them something to look at.
cracklingkraken, ASN, RN
1,855 Posts
I was lucky to have such wonderful parents. As a student who had to watch my friends with all these cool gadgets while I was stuck with my CD player, I used to feel like the odd one out. And we would never go out to eat. I think we went out for dinner maybe 2 times in 10 yrs. My parents also grew up in poverty.
In retrospect, I appreciate the values that they taught me. I paid for my own apartment and expenses while in college. I'm paying off my nursing degree as well. And I know how to manage my expenses. You value money a lot more when you're the one earning it.